Skip to main content

tv   Consider This  Al Jazeera  February 19, 2014 9:00am-10:01am EST

9:00 am
on tuesday, he announced the e.p.a. will draft new regulations for trucks set to take effect in march of 2016. those are your headlines. "consider this" is next. arsenik >> the violence in ukraine explodes and turns deadly - reaction from kiev. venezuela's uprising gets more dangerous by the day with no end in site as the opposition leader is arrested. how will helicopter's time at the state department impact her presidential run. how does he compare to john kerry. >> and sob rity in relation to marijuana. here is more of what is ahead.
9:01 am
i'm antonio mora. >> we are appalled by the violence. and it will not resolve the crisis. >> violence and bloodshed must stop immediately. >> tens of thousands of protesters pack the streets in venezuela as police raft the leader of the -- arrest the leader of the potential. >> this is a comeback story, of how she went to pretty well in the american public, back to a high point. >> we begin with an outbreak of violence in the ukraine. 20 were killed tuesday. hundreds more have been hurt. the violence started after protesters marched into an area of city square, where the police massed. police were accused of using
9:02 am
live ammunition, live bullets. it happened since november 21st, when viktor yanukovych rejected a deal with european union and went with russia. i'm joined by nataliya goom-enyuk with an independent news service. where have you been today. what did you see? >> we have been following everything that happened from early morning. so far we have the shift in the newsroom. i should explain what is happening. we are doing news and talking from the field. in the plain clothes there is a huge outbreak of violence in independence square. the crackdown is in full force,
9:03 am
and people try to protect themselves. the protesters - with different means. we know there are injuries from both sides. the difference of the two events is during the day time there was a clash, and we can talk about - discuss the use of force, legitimate use of force, and the live ammunition, and it is confirmed we have a journalist who brought the bullets to the studio and our journalists were seeing the corpse with the live bullets, not just rubber bullets. the situation is going on, and for the last more than five hours, there's a call from the people and the position and the international bodies to the government to stop the violence, i mean, do something that the police and these force would stop the crackdown. little by little they are
9:04 am
overtaking the square, which was put on fire, and, yes, now the cocktail, molotovs were used, and the live ammunition. the people in the square, they don't - it's an asylum for them, it's their camp, and the biggest concern is since the early days there's a lot of injured. because of the violence in the place, really the ambulance, it's hard for the people to get the injured and get some help because we don't know how many people are missing things. it's happening now. there's some development in the country. the only response from the government is terror operation which, for ukraine, is a unique case. we never heard a word of terror here. that's the main thing to address. >> it's scary to watch the violence and it doesn't surprise
9:05 am
me that there must be hundreds that got hurt. what started the violence today? is it clear it was the police, not the protesters? >> yes, in a way, we know what was happening - i won't get into the politics, there was an idea of the attempt of the position to put up old time constitution which would give less power to the president. when the people march towards the parliament, there were a lot of police, a lot of, like, people in the plain clothes who were with them, and they were throwing stones. they got the answer with the grenades, what is really happening, that the subway - first time in history was shut down in order more people won't come to the center. the center is somehow cut for the people, people can't treat there. i know a lot of people are
9:06 am
walking to reach the place, because there's no trust in anyway - you know, any police or anybody. there should be volunteers who would help the people, and a lot of volunteers among the doctors, and people in the senatorsers -- centres, afraid of being taken to the hospital. they are concerned - there's one person, if the president doesn't pick up the phone from the president, from angela merkel, we know joe biden more or less reached him, but there was no sign and this is only person who can give order to stop. >> is there a chance that viktor yanukovych will back down? there's reports that he's meeting with opposition leader vitaly klitschko. is it possible a deal will be reached and in there calm down?
9:07 am
there is a hope. there's a feeling that the red line is crossed. people with no quicks, who attack. with every hour, more are injured. the hope is there, but the answer is not still there. >> we hope for all that have been hurt... >> it's very important for the international audience to understand. this is happened for the first time in international history. there was a case where it was the first people to die in the clash with history. we never seen something like that. this way the people are confused, they are disturbed. they don't know what to do. they understand they can go to the streets, and society is not
9:08 am
ready. i believe that the danger is - people are ready to answer, they don't see concessions. >> nataliya goom-enyuk, thank you for joining us. >> switching to another nation in crisis. venezuela. opposition leader leopoldo lopez surrendered on tuesday, not before telling a crowd that he was not afraid to go fal to highlight corruption and decline. he said imprisonment would be worth if if it woke up the venezuela people to the country's flight. after the arrest tens of thousands of protesters blocked the streets. venezuela has been wrapped by demonstrations, by venezuelans who have had enough of high
9:09 am
crime rates, corruption, shortages of basic items and inflation that is the highest, despite being an oil-rich companies. >> president nicolas maduro said leopoldo lopez must answer for treasonous acts. he faces charges, including homicide after through were dead through protests. >> i'm joined by victor pshonka, president of the u.n. security council, ambassador. we saw you in the streets, speaking to the soldiers of the national guard that blocked a veet street. you went up and talked to them. what did you say? >> i was speaking to the officers, saying they obstructing the rights of the venezuelan people. i said one day you would be
9:10 am
judged and prosecuted as war criminals, because that's the way the national guard has been behaving. >> did you get any kind of response? >> no, the officers knew me. they knew i would not stop. it was a way to demonstrate the reaction to the use of armed forces in venezuela, to abuse people's rights and demonstrations like we had today. >> you were one. major opposition leaders who has been one of the inspirations behind the process who had been in hiding after the president said he was going to be arrested. was it the right move to surrender to president nicolas maduro's forces. >> it was a personal decision to do so. in a way he was demonstrating that he was not an outlaw.
9:11 am
we don't have a judicial system that will treat him objectively. suddenly the regime relies that putting leopoldo lopez in gaol will generate a lot of problems. they don't know the extent of the problem, because what started 13 days ago, student demonstrations against human rights has bloomed and grown into a massive process which will increase in the forthcoming days. >> it's been reported that another leader of leopoldo lopez's party is being ordered to surrender. will they go after more prisoners, will they get fair trials? you just said the judiciary is not independent. >> we have been living here in the same system. many of the venezuelan opposition have realised that we are facing to begin with a
9:12 am
military government, because venezuela is a military regime controlled by the cuban regime, and as a such they have great experience in exercising pressure, how to pressure societies, they do that in vpz. they control the military, the police, intelligence agency suggests. they are in full control. we give them 100,000 barrels of oil a day. >> the cuban involvement began with hugo chavez's close for example fidel castro. nicolas maduro was elected last year, in a split down the middle vote and they won some elections in december. what do you and others want from the nicolas maduro government. >> actually, when chavez die venezuela enter into a
9:13 am
transition process. i believe it's coming to an end with nicolas maduro. you know, to begin with, the last presidential elections, we won them, and were not able to gain recognition of that. it's a fact. and the municipal election we won the big cities. there's no electoral option for the venezuelans. we can win the elections. the regime will not allow us to get to power. we have 60,000 cubans, narco traffickers, mafia under the protection of the government. we have seven generals of the highest ranks which are the king pin list of the united states treasurer. they are not going to give up $90 billion a year. we have a great business for the cubans and the mafia groups and others.
9:14 am
there's a great appetite to preserve the situation as we have it. nicolas maduro said to us last week, "i don't care, you never get back to power. and if i let loose the civilian groups, they have a lot of gangs" today they didn't because there's journalists. they have criminal gangs which killed three young people, and in valentia they shot another girl, a queen beauty was shot in the head. they use the groups in order not to let the armed forces, because the armed forces begin to get very concerned about the implications of the responsibilities that they may face in the future, regarding crimes that have been committed for many years. >> we see pictures of the opposition rallying in caracas
9:15 am
and around the country. there's tremendous censorship. it's hard to get much of this out because the government controls almost all the media. >> you know, the control that they have is about 90%, but they have 100%, because the president enters - the chain, the link, all the televisions and radio stations into one voice and view. chavez exploited that a lot. now the gentleman - by the way, we don't know if the gentlemen who acts as head of venezuela is a columbian. he has never been able to document that he's a venezuelan citizen. the people that watch your program may wonder why have we become. venezuela was a respected member of the international community. today we are the source of
9:16 am
financing for some of the worst cultures of the humanity. we are friends with muammar gaddafi, castro moouga be. if there's an enemy of the united states venezuela joins the ranks. >> u.s. documents have been thrown out of venezuela. u.s. insists that the charges that u.s. is involved are baseless, and venezuela is trying to distract from its action, but the u.s. support some of the opposition groups. we appreciate having you on the show. in . >> before going to the break, another country convulsed by protests. four killed, 60 injured in bangkok thailand as riot police struggled to force protesters from blocking the streets around
9:17 am
the prime minister's office. one pressman was killed. one protesters had an assault weapon. the protest movement is trying to dessolves thailand's government, which it claims favours corrupt politicians and rural north. >> sobriety tests - why police may need to shake up methods. >> and top stories on the web, what's trend k, harmeli aregawi. >> there's a lot of anger. coming up. while you watch, let us know what you think tonne twitter: -- think on twitter or leave a comment on our facebook page.
9:18 am
9:19 am
9:20 am
>> with marijuana legalization on the rise concerns about the safety and prevalence of driving after smoking pot are growing. the issue of driving under the issue of marijuana is complicated from how to measure impairment to knowing how much driving impairment is impaired when high. >> we are joined by glenn davis, the highway safety manager of the department of transportation. according to "american journal of epidemiology" the number of car crash system with pot in their systems increased three fold from 1999 to 2010. do you believe marijuana is to blame? >> i believe that that shows
9:21 am
that marijuana certainly is a substance that is used did is a contributors to the cashes. according to a study by the pacific institute of research and evaluation. a 20-year-old drunk driver is more likely to be in a fatal crash - it's 20 times more likely than someone not drinking, at 44, nine times more likely. driving while high doesn't seem to have nearly as much of an effect. is driving after using marijuana less dangerous than drunk driving? >> i don't think so. marijuana is an impairing substance like alcohol. if people abuse it or use it to the point of impairment, it's equally dangerous. >> how reliable - how do you enforce it? how reliable are field sobriety tests. other studies show as little as 30% of those that smoke marijuana fail the test. how do you figure out who is
9:22 am
impaired and not? >> i can speak for colorado, we have law enforcement officers highly trained, but it's not just the roadside that determines arrest, it was the person's driving, the violation, the indicia of impairment that the officer sees. it doesn't determine if they are under the use of alcohol or drugs, it's if they are impaired and needs to be arrested for further testing. >> are there marijuana specific tests. the study found 30% of people can do the standard field sobriety test, you may not be able to check them casually figure out whether they are high or not. >> roadside tests are standardized and should dedetect if someone is impaired.
9:23 am
in colorado, if the officers feels it's something other than alcohol he can call in a drug recognition expert and they can do other tests, more of a clinical situation, like in a processing room, and he can make some determinations if the person is impaired by something other are than cole. >> many people do not know that dui laws apply to marijuana. colorado treats dui as the same as -- driving under the influence of alcohol, the same, is that right? >> yes, it can be alcohol, drugs, or a combination. the fact that marijuana was legalized there's no change to the statute. driving while
9:24 am
influenced by a drug is still illegal. >> an issue that arises is that people have different tolerances. a heavy user can have high levels of the active ingredient of marijuana daying after the last time they smoked. >> well, colorado - what people are tested on is blood, and that is a test for thc. >> what about the issue that it stays in the system longer, but the active ingredient can stay in for a day or two? >> it is possible, and that's a case if someone gives a urine test shows what is in the body. but if a person takes blood, that will show what the active
9:25 am
ingredients is. >> have you seen any change on the roads sense marijuana became legal? >> you really haven't, but we are only 50 days into this. it will take a while to analyse the data, five years, and more time than that. >> a lot to be learnt in the years to come given the experiment, in a way, that is happening in colorado. >> glenn davis, highway accept manager for the department of transportation. thank you very much. >> afghan president hamid karzai refused to sign the bilateral agreement keeping troops in afghanistan, but american drones in the area depend on a basis in afghanistan that would have to close if u.s. troops lf. how would it effect security
9:26 am
interests in afghanistan. joining us from washington d.c. is daniel markey, a senior fellow for india, pakistan and south asia and the author of a book: . >> daniel, great to have you with us. let's talk about the issue of afghanistan and our basis there. if america fully pulls out and we can't have bases for drones, how badly will it hurt us? >> it will hurt us pretty badly if the problem of al qaeda exists, which i think is an assumption that we can make. there's not a lot of great places to launch drones, given the geography of the region. >> that will hurt on how many different levels? >> the problem of al qaeda will persist. that means terrorist planning, plotting, organising attack in the border area would be more
9:27 am
act do so. then there's the problems of regional groups. groups that attack, they continue to desrupt afghanistan, plotting attacks against india, and the problems of attacks against pakistan. we have our problems, but stability is important. home grown terrorists would be able to launch plots and we wouldn't have the drone tools. >> there's no other place to put our bases to give us access to get to the areas. we could have american forces on the crowned conducting operations we couldn't support from the air. >> i wouldn't say there's no other places. there are suggestions that we could launch the drones from
9:28 am
further afield, in central asia, that we could have them based offshore, or in the persian gulf. there are some options, but look at the globe. this is a difficult area. those distances are long. the technology of drones, particularly the earlier technologies is not to advanced that you can fly these things indefinitely. the chances of having problems and having shorter times that would be available to sur veil overhead. these problems would be significant. we may not see them or hit them. >> the alternative adds hundreds of miles in distance. >> hamid karzai has resisted signing the bilateral agreement with the u.s. that would keep around 10,000 american troops in
9:29 am
afghanistan past 2014, and you said:. >> is that the case, and if so, is that why he's playing hard ball with the u.s.? >> it's a difficult thing to try to read hamid karzai's mind. he has probably multiple motivations and drivers for the decisions that he's made in his negotiations with us. by almost all accounts he has basically from the beginning thought he had more leverage with us, than we with him. it's partially the drone issue, and, with a sense, reported from multiple sources that he thinks the united states thinks of afghanistan in much more significant geostrategic, geopolitical terms, perhaps as a means for the united states to exert influence into central asia, to flank iran and a variety of other things, things
9:30 am
that we in washington don't take as seriously. he may believe that we need more than we do. >> we have seen the results of the withdrawal from iraq, and the resurgence of iraq and syria. could it happen, a rise of the taliban, meaning we have wasted all this money and lives in the long war? >> i think it could, we see and here stories about a zero option. that is the option not achieving a bilateral security agreement with hamid karzai or the future government, drawing down to near zero, and by most accounts from the region. you would see the taliban rejoice in this, and the question would be how far they might be able to push their advantage, and what backlash that would bring inside of afghanistan to opposing forces.
9:31 am
there's many afghanistan people that oppose the taliban. and what would india, russia, pakistan dash what would they all do. essentially it would dissolve into a similar war. and you may see something similar. if not overnight, over a period of years. whether it means our efforts in afghanistan were wasted - that remains to be seen. it would be a major setback. i would think so. >> you called for a reappraisal of our relationship with pakistan. are they the biggerish u? there's a lot -- bigger issue, there's a lot of problems. the drones are used for nuclear monitoring. pakistan is a nuclear power. there's suggestions their creating more nuclear weapons. >> yes, pakistan could be more of a threat than afghanistan.
9:32 am
200 million people, likely to reach 300 million by mid century, put it in the top half dozen of countries in the world. pakistan is nuclear armed. tactical nuclear war heads are growing, shall ones, raising new or participation problems with respect to terrorism, theft, proliferation, unauthorised use. it's a dangerous situation, and pakistan is a country, like afghanistan, in more significant numbers, international terrorist groups, financed links to the gulf and elsewhere in the world. these problems are not going away overnight. these are the things to confront for decades to come. >> the book is no: great to have you on the show. >> time to see what is trending.
9:33 am
harmeli aregawi chevron is under fire for a response to a fire that lasted four days, one is injured, and another missing. chevron sent 100 people in the nearby community for a coupon for a large pizza and a drink. the letter was posted and the director sarcastically treated:. >> the pizza is part of the outreach, fresh making donations to fire departments, from $1,000 to $7500. let us know what you thing about this story:. >> straight ahead - a fresh look at hillary clinton and her time as secretary of state.
9:34 am
and americans scientific knowledge is surprisingly limited. more surprising how we stack up with the evidence are of the world. another controversy is brooming over zoos - this time in costa rica. def conversation mark connolly cop copernicuscop
9:35 am
9:36 am
. >> 33 months ahead of the n presidential election hillary rodham clinton's time as the secretary of state is getting a look. a book:. >> it looks inside the clinton political machine, discusses a hit list, talks about operative, and focuses on a woman that has never stopped running for president joining me now, author jonathan allen, white house correspondent for bloomberg and aimie parnes, senior correspondent at the hill. congratulations on the new book. many think john kerry has eclipse mrs. clinton in the office. you talk in the book about how she was cautious in the job. is the issue that john kerry is looking at history and has no - doesn't feel like he's risking anything, while hillary clinton
9:37 am
is looking at the future and what it means pore her specifically when it comes to un aring for president. >> -- come to running for president. >> it may be. john kerry has key things - syria, rain and middle east peace are unresolve. we don't know how to score that when all things are said and done in particular with iran. it was state department officials under helicopter who started having the negotiations with the iranians through, you know, direct sit downs in 2012. so i think the john kerry scorecard is still got incompletes on it. as far as hillary clinton goes, we go into great detail in the book. there's no deal under her, it's a metric by which she'll be measured. the diplomats, the first job is
9:38 am
to make sure the problems don't arise. you try to head things off on the pass. there are anecdotes in the book. where there's potential diplomatic disasters that she headed off. those that criticise her for not having gotten the israelis and palestinians to sit down are accurate that that didn't happen. >> let's - you start the book with the clinton hit list, let's start there. it's gotten a lot of attention, what you wrote, that she had a hit list that ranked friends and foes, it was numerical, one to seven, one being the best. number seven you had ted kennedy, claire mccaskill among others. do you buy the line from the clinton camp that this was misinterpreted? >> well, they are saying that they don't rely on it or circulate it. it serves as a reminder to people that they keep track of
9:39 am
friends and enemies. they are constantly looking forward and back. so there's people asking how does it pertain to today. clearly if she's running in 2016, it will apply to that. point went on revenge cycles where he took out people that didn't support his wife. it all comes forward in time. >> both of you are convinced there's no question that she hasn't stopped running for president. >> this train is rolling and gaining steam. all the outside groups formed around her. she is fundraising, ready for hilary. all she needs to do is decide she's running and the landscape is there for her. >> one thing that the book gives her credit for, after the bush years, and you bring up positive things with bob gates
9:40 am
and general david petraeus had to say, given everything that happened since you wrote the guts of the book, what we saw in syria, how vladimir putin reasserted his authority, and the reset on russian relations goes away, and vladimir putin considered the most powerful person in the world, compared to barack obama. bass she successful in -- was she successful in restoring that imaging. >> it depends on the country you are talking about. the united states long-term partners in europe viewed the united states better during barack obama's first term than during the bush administration. you can measure this in polling across the world. the esteem grew. we saw coalitions between the united states and some folks in the gulf cooperation council and the arab league, and in particular with the invasion of libya that you never would have seen before. there are places where it's
9:41 am
true, and other countries where it's been a harder nut to crack in terms of american popularity. it's almost nothing in pakistan, for instance. if you look at the polling it's clear that the united states is perceived better around the world than it was when barack obama took office and hillary clinton took office, and they probably share some credit in that. >> steve behnke, you guys address it. i suspect we'll see this in 2016 ads, if she runs. >> with all due respect the fact is we have four dat americans, was it because a protest or guys out for a walk that decided to go kill americans. what difference at this point does it make... >> that moment, i am sure, steve behnke, a tough -- benghaze, we'll see that again and again.
9:42 am
a lot is critical of the state department. >> we will. and shaun spicer told us. there was an ad that mitt romney didn't use that basically p pinpointed obama to benghazi. it's an add they'll play and accused hillary clinton of having her hands in this, not being prepared and it happened under her watch. they are gearing this up. we can expect to see it in the coming months. >> we have social media questions. >> as you know, helicopter has been the subject of many means. the latest is a rip-off of a "new york times" cover portraying her as an planet. the original story was written by amy chozick. hillary clinton hasn't announced that she'd one, major papers
9:43 am
have reporters focus on her. is she in the campaign whether she knows it or not? >> the last person to know if she's running for president is hillary clinton. the way we frame it is she's been running all along, and whether she stops running, not whether she starts. it will be how she continued to build the political office within the state department. went on the campaign trial. helped barack obama in hopes this would be helpful for the clinton brand. there's no question that she has been running for a long time. if she were to stop running it would be certainly the story of the year of 2014. >> i would be remiss if i didn't bring up some of the criticism
9:44 am
of the book. you guys had tremendous access. hillary spoke to you, and a couple of hundred people spoke to you. you have gotten criticism that the book is too favourable to her. your reaction? >> i don't think it's true. we have the leading new york times book critic giving us a solid review, and t"the washington post. ". >> there was one from john carl, and the "'financial times'", and "the economist" felt it was too flattering. >> sure, we talk to people who like her, who don't like her, republicans, those that are thinking of running against her, a lot of different people. we formed - we are journalists covering the white house, we are impartial. this is the book that we wrote. >> i should point out both sides used pieces of the book in their
9:45 am
political ammunition, those who would defend hillary clinton and those who attack her have done so using pieces of the book. >> the reviewer has the right to the equipment. there's a piece where hillary clinton is advocating for health care. it's used as a talking point. both sides are taking the spark and using what they want. >> the back is:. >> jonathan allen, aimie parnes, it is great to have you both on the show. thanks for your time. >> straight ahead, how do more than half americans not know that humans develop from species. data dive is next.
9:46 am
9:47 am
>> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america >> and now a techknow minute... >> san francisco's bay bridge, an engineering marvel, built to survive the worst earthquake country has to offer.
9:48 am
>> how close are we to one of those faultines now? >> we are very close... >> this bridge uses three inovations to fight the forces of nature. deep inside the bridge's underbelly is a hinged pipe beam built to absorb horizontal movement. at it's base, is a support structure, called a "battered pile", they stand at angles, instead of straight up and down, to better handle movements. at the top of the bridge, are shear link beems, designed to flex and deform, instead of of the bridge tower itself. >> where would you wanna be if a big quake hits? >> on the top of the tower of this bridge, will be one heck of a joyride, but it will be a safe one... >> for more information on this and other techknow stories, visit our website at aljazeera.com/techknow don't miss techknow sundays 7:30p et / 4:30p pt on al jazeea america data dive
9:49 am
scientific ignorance. ata dive despite the fact copernicus figured out it was the opposite, that was a finding on a biannual report on science and engineering indicators presented in chicago. out of 10 questions men's only got about six right. . >> to be fair americans fared better and people in the: the u.s. scored at our near the top for mijory of questions, when asked if humans developed for animals, u.s. said yes. only russia scored lower. >> u.s. is interested in scientists even if knowledge is limited. 90% polled want to learn more and think scientists work for the good of humanity, 60%
9:50 am
visited a zoo or aquarium. think ben franklin discovered electricity using a kite. he was trying to gain understanding about the electrical nature of lightening. some are more mysterious, doubting the flu shot works, some believing it gives you the flu. it's false. get it every year. >> later - should zoos exist. a controversy waging in casta rico.
9:51 am
9:52 am
9:53 am
. >> zoos are under a harsh spotlight. a daipish zoo -- danish zoo sparked outrage when it killed a giraffe, and cut it up in front of students. costa rica is is deciding whether to close its zoos and transfer the animals to freer environments. >> wayne pacelle is trsh treasurer and c.e.o. of the humane societies. costa rica would be the first country in the world to do something like this, what would the repercussions be? >> costa rica tubing up the environmental protection, green and we'll pair principles. this is an extension of what
9:54 am
it's doing in other domains of animal welfare and conservation. when you get a leader like this raising questions about what best practices are, it reverberates in a global economy with global communations and welfare movement. it's bound to be discussed in the united states and other country with a regard for animal we'll tare. >> it's been a rough month for zoos, because of what happened in denver and denmark. there are strong arguments in favour of zoos. they serve as a primary tool to teach about animals and wildlife. where does the human society stand on zoos and principal. >> in the united states there's 200 accredited zoos. they try to maintain strong standards, they do enrichment for the animals, they have vet
9:55 am
care and try to pay attention to animal ware fair. we are not always happy with all that they do, but we like the idea of standards and accreditation. for every one of those zoos we have 10 nonaccredited zoos, roadside zoos. 2,000 of them. they procure animals from disreputable sources, discard them, deny them pet care, they are unprofessional, and you can drive around the united states and see the roadside attractions and we urge supporters and anyone concerned about animal welfare not to patronize them. that's the biggest issue, along with private citizens owning the animals, keeping them as pets in a backyard or base. they are the big issues. accredited zoos, issues are there, but lower burner issues for us at the humane society of
9:56 am
the united states. >> there's no regulation to deal with the roadside zoo. what kind of regulation is there? >> the u.s. department of agriculture enforces the animal welfare act. you need a licence. the usda may make one visit a year, but the standards are almost non-existent for captive wild live. real filth, the animal starving. if they are in a deficient enclosure that is not the right size, if they deny the animal the opportunity to socialise, they are not problems, and they don't deal with how the animals are procured and dispensed with once they don't want them. >> they are beyond zoos, we have theme parks, document ris like "the cove", and "black fish" -
9:57 am
these are massive businesses. issues with them? >> absolutely. with sea world "blackfish" is a phenomenon, catching the imagination of the american public, especially young people wondering why issuinga, killer wales, large predators who swim tens of miles, who live in social groups, family groups why they are in these sterile little pools to do silly stunts so people can cheer and clap at that. what "blackfish" did was tell the back story of failed reproductive efforts in captivity, what happened when animals were captured, babies taken from the mothers. it raises the question of the behavioural and psychological needs of the animals not being properly attended to. when you deal with citations,
9:58 am
smart creatures with big brains. why are we doing this if we are a big-brained creature that can distinguish right from wrong. it falls on one side, the wrong side. >> people around the world were horrified by this thing in denmark, marius the giraffe, killed and fed to lions, there's talk of another giraffe possibly in line to be killed by another zoo in denmark. what lessons should the worldwide community of zoos learn from that? >> the idea of treating animals as a commodity, and if they are not contributing to the genet geneticivegeneti geneticigeneti geneticiversity -- genetic diversity. there's a cavalier thinking, narrow-minded thinking that we thing is wrong. zoos can contribute to
9:59 am
conservation and the genetic help of captive population, but they should thing about animal welfare, instill kindness and compassion. thing about larger issues and not just treat animals that you think will add to the health of the population as animals that are expendable. kids don't want to see them shot and fed to the lions. the association of zoos condemned the activity, saying it's not a practice that is acceptable at u.s. accredited zoos. it may happen in the roadside men angeries which are a problem in captive wildlife issues in the united states. >> wayne pacelle, of the human society, thank you for coming back on the show. >> the show may be over but the consider continues on the website al jazeera
10:00 am
america/considerthis. and you can find us on twitter or facebook or google+. see you next time. >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ >> hello and welcome to the al jazeera news hour, i'm martine dennis, from our broadcast centers in doha and london, these are our top stories. what next for ukraine? after 26 people die in the worst night of violence. and attacks tear through beirut. i'm laure

98 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on